Nursing Student on Edge

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For some students a snow day is something they look forward to; however, that’s not the case for Kristen Starling.

Starling is a third-semester nursing student at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. Starling is well on her way to becoming a nurse anesthetist, but when this icy weather came to town, her studies were put on hold.

“I feel like I’m going to be behind in a clinical setting,” said Starling.

Starling not only missed a six-hour lecture Monday (Feb. 3), but a ten-hour clinical Tuesday (Feb. 4) due to wide spread campus closings.

“Since we missed yesterday we could have seen something that would help us later on,” Starling said.

The University of Arkansas Fort Smith said there is a plan in place for students that have missed a clinical.

“With the clinicals, things will get rescheduled,” said UAFS counselor Ila Debose. “In terms of the lectures, I would assume they would either get rescheduled, or the professors would work out a way to get that information to that student.”

Debose said there are certain measures in place students can take.

“I think time management is probably the biggest thing,” Debose said. “Now with everything shifting and giving yourself time to get caught up.”

And as for Starling, she said she will be doing just that.

“As nurses, we won’t get to call off work because of weather,” Starling said.

So far, the University of Arkansas Fort Smith campus has had three snow days and one half day due to the winter weather.

3 comments

Elaphas

joesumone

So it looks like my previous comment hit a little to close to home for someone. Guess what, STEM students missed out on lectures. Education students lost out on lecture AND practical teaching opportunities. Business students lost out on lectures, in fact a meet and greet with a local accounting firm was cancelled. The one thing all these students have in common: they were not included in this story b!tching about missing days. As it stated in the story, the clinicals will be rescheduled. Why is this the only student complaining? The hospital h0 academy students whine about everything!

Bubba

Nursing students are required to meet very rigid hour requirements in lecture and clinical to graduate. Other students miss a lecture – whatever. No big deal. Nursing students miss it, they have to make up every minute of it at a later date. Not the end of the world, but annoying and stressful.

So joesumone, your comment is as misinformed as it is ignorant and trashy.